Loose-leaf binder.



A. BENSON.

LOOSE LEAP BINDER.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 7, 190a.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

2 SHEBTSBHEET 1.

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LOOSE LEAF BINDER.

APPLIOATION FILED D1107, 190B.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

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UNITED sTATEgg TENT QFFICE.

ANDREW BENSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FORT DEARBORN MANUFAC-TURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A'CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW BnNsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements'in Loose-Leaf Binders, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Qne of the objects of this invention 1s to provide a strong, simple,durable, and reliable mechanism for expanding and contracting theclamping members of a looseleaf ledger or other binder.

The invention also relates to the other features of improvements inloose-leaf binders hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a top plan View of a binder orledger b ack embodying the features of my invention, portions beingsectioned away. Fig. 2 1s a sectional View upon line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fragmental undersideview of the recessed member in which certain of the movable parts arelocated. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detailview of one of the rollers or sprockets, together with its driving wormwheel. Fig. 7 is a detail view of a modification.

The embodiment selected for illustration comprises a concave back piece1, to the upper side of which is secured a plate 2 by means of screws 3extending through said plate into bosses 4 and 5 at the middle and nearthe ends of said back piece. Transverse guide bars 6 are secured in anysuit.- able manner to the ends of the plate 2, the length of said barsbeing substantially equal to the width of the back piece 1. Upon theends of said back piece, beneath the guide bars 6 are formed guideways7.

The leaf-engaging posts 8 are carried by two side members 9. Each ofsaid side members comprises a flange or section 10, the ends of whichare provided with guide portions 11 slidably mounted upon the ways 7 andbetween said ways and the guide bars 6.

12 are end flanges upon the side members 9.

.The means herein shown for moving the side members 9 toward and awayfrom each other comprises two rotatable members carried by the backpiece 1 and flexible connections between said rotatable members and saidside members. Said flexible con- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December '7, 1908.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910. Serial No. 466,244.

nections are adapted to be wound to a greater or less extent around saidrotatable members for the purpose of drawing the side members 9 to etherand said flexible connections are adapted to push the side members 9away from each other when the retatable members are rotated in thedirection to unwind said flexible connections.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 6: 13 are rollers or sprocket wheels rotatablymounted upon bushings 14, said. bushings extending through openings 15in the plate 2 and being seated in recesses formed in bosses 16 upon theinner side of the back piece 1. Cap screws 17 extend through saidsleeves and engage the bosses 16.

The flexible connections 18 hereinbefore referred to may consist ofchains, steel tapes or steel cables, and in the form herein illustratedeach connection comprises three links 19 and a rod 20. One end of theflexible connection is pivotally secured to a lug 21 (Fig. (3) upon theperiphery of the roller 13 and the other end is attached at 22 (Fig. l)to the adjacent side member 9. Each roller 13 has attached thereto atdiametrically opposite points two of the flexible connections justdescribed, said connections extending to opposite side members 9. Itwill therefore be seen that each of said side members is connected attwo points with the rollers 13. If desired, the rollers 13 may beprovided with sprocket teeth 23 to engage the links 19 and assist inpositively moving the latter.

The flexible connections joining the side members 9 to the rollers 13may be prevented from buckling by being mounted in suitable guideways.As herein shown, two blocks 24 are fixed in any suitable manner to theunder side of the plate 2, each being provided with a recess or opening25 to accommodate a roller 13 and two connections 18, guideways 26communicating with the recess 25 being formed in said blocks. The recess25 has curved walls 27 which confine the links 1.9 against displacement.Projections 28 extending close to the periphery of the roller 13 preventthe links of the chain from buckling and following the periphery of theroller as said chains are unwound or forced outwardly. In case therollers 13 are provided with teeth 23, the projections 28 will beslotted, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. The engagement of the lugs 21with the ends 29 of the projections 28 limits the openlongitudinally ofthe back piece 1 and.

mounted in bearing bosses 81 upon said back piece. One end of the shaftis squared for engagement by a suitable key (not shown), an opening 82for said key being provided in the adjacent end of one of the sidemembers 9. The shaft 80 has formed thereon two worms 88 engaging wormwheels 84 which may be formed integral with the rollers 18. The spiralthreads of the worms 88 are oppositely inclined, whereby the rollers 18are rotated in opposite directions. The oppositely-acting worms 88prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft 80 in its bearings, but, ifdesired, special means for preventing endwise movement of the shaft maybe provided, as, for example, a pin 85 in one of the bearings 31,engaging in an annular groove 86 formed in said shaft.

The links of the flexible connections 18 may be of the form shown inFig. 7, in order to obviate the necessity for the guide walls 27 and theprojections 28. The links 19 have shoulders 87 thereon, which preventthe flexible connection from bending in one direction out of a straightline, and shoulders 88 which limit flexing movement in the oppositedirection beyond what is needed to enable the links to lie in contactwith the periphery of the sprocket wheel.

In use, assuming the binder to be expanded, the leaves are placed uponthe posts 8 and the side members 9 moved toward each other to clamp theleaves between them. The side members 9 are thus moved by rotating theshaft 80 in the appropriate direction, the rollers 18 being rotated topull the flexible connections 18 inwardly. Then leaves are to bewithdrawn or inserted the binder is expanded by rotating the shaft 80 inthe opposite direction, whereupon the rollers 18 push the flexibleconnections 18 outwardly and force the side members 9 apart, theguideways 26 and the guide walls 27 preventing said connections frombuckling. When the side members 9 are moved in and out the guideportions 11 thereof slide in the guideways formed between the parts 6and 7.

I would have it understood that I desire not to be limited to thedetails of construction herein shown and described, for variousmodifications will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a loose-leaf binder, in combination, a central member; two sidemembers; and

means for 'moving said side members comprising a rotatable windingelement mounted on said central member, flexible connections betweensaid side members and said winding member arranged to be wound on saidwinding member, and guide means for said flexible connections.

2. In a loose-leaf binder, in combination, a central member; two sidemembers; and means for moving said side members comprising a rollermounted on said central member, a plurality of flexible connectionsattached to said roller and said side members arranged to be wound onsaid roller, and guide means for said flexible connections.

8. In a loose-leaf binder, in combination, two side members; arelatively stationary portion having two oppositely extending guidewaystherein; a roller; means for rotating said roller; and flexibleconnections between said roller and said side members, said flexibleconnections being' arranged to move in said guideways.

4. In a loose-leaf binder, in combination, two side members; arelatively stationary portion having a recess therein and two oppositelyextending guideways communicating with said recess; a roller within saidrecess; and flexible connections between said roller and said sidemembers, said flexible connections being arranged to move in said recessand said guideways.

5. In a loose-leaf binder, in combination, a back piece; a plateextending longitudinally of said back piece and attached thereto; twoside members slidable with relation to said back piece; and'means formoving said side members comprising a roller, a pivot for said rollerextending between said back piece and said plate, means upon the underside of said plate providing a recess for said roller and oppositelyextending guideways communicating with said recess, and flexibleconnections attached to said roller and said side members adapted tomove in said guideways.

6. In a loose-leaf binder, in combination, a central member; two sidemembers; and means for moving said side members comprising a rollermounted on said central member, a flexible connection between each ofsaid side members and said roller, each of said connections comprising aplurality of links and a rod, one of said links being attached to saidroller and one end of said rod being attached to said side member, anduide-means for said flexible connections.

7. In a loose-leaf binder, in combination, a central member; two sidemembers; and means for moving said 'sideinembers comprising a rollermounted on said central member, a flexible connection between each ofsaid side members and said roller, eachof said connections comprising aplurality of linksand a rod, one of. said links being attached to saidroller and one end of said rod being attached to said side member, saidlinks having shoulders thereon to limit their flexing movement in onedirection out of a straight line, and guide-means for said flexibleconnections.

8. In a loose-leaf binder, in combination, a central member; two sidemembers; and means for moving said side members comprising a rollermounted on said central member, a flexible connection between each ofsaid side members and said roller, each of said connections comprising aplurality of links and a rod, one of said links being attached to saidroller and one end of said rod being attached to said side member, saidlinks having shoulders thereon to limit their flexing movement in onedirection beyond what is necessary to permit said links to lie incontact with the periphery of said roller, and guide-means for saidflexible connections.

9. In a loose-leaf binder in combination, a back piece having guidewaysupon its ends; a plate extending longitudinally of said back piece andsecured thereto; a transverse guide member on each end of said plate,the length of said guide member being substantially equal to the widthof said back piece; two side members having guide portions slidablymounted between said guidcways and guide members; and means for movingsaid side members toward and away from each other.

10. In a loose-leaf binder, in combination, a back piece; a plateextending longitudinally of said back piece and secured thereto; twoside members slidable with relation to said back piece; and means formoving said side members comprising a roller, a sleeve upon which saidroller is rotatably mounted, one end of said sleeve lying in an openingin said plate and the other end in a recess in said back piece, a screwextending through said sleeve into said back piece and securing saidsleeve to said back piece, a block upon the under side of said plate,said block having an opening therein in which said roller is mounted,said block having two oppositely extending guideways thereincommunicating with said opening, and flexible connections attached tosaid roller and said side members and movable within said opening andsaid guideways.

ANDREIV BENSON. Witnesses:

0. PAUL PARKER, GEORGE L. CI'IINDAHL.

